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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. face — part of the head
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rush — hurry
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — to rip
  10. lean — to bend
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. face — to confront
  14. bat — the animal
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. lean — thin
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. tear — from crying
  20. face — to point toward
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. rush — a thrill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com